


golden

by fairyslush



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Fantasy, HyungWonho - Freeform, M/M, fairfolk, some stupid au i got because my friends have r-18 brains, very pretentious writing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-05-01 17:55:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5215205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairyslush/pseuds/fairyslush
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>wonho, commander of the castle's knights, has chanced upon an ethereal being of the fairfolk, hyungwon, and might be a little more than just infatuated with his golden glimmer. fairfolk!au from the "ironclad knight and fairfolk" prompt that i've paraded to my friends and gave birth to this little fic. </p>
<p>crossposted from cheekysugar @ livejournal</p>
            </blockquote>





	golden

**i.**

he almost fell off his horse at the glimmer of gold that leaked into his peripheries.

“halt!” wonho commanded, raising an open palm to order his teammates to stop. the sound of metal skidding against the damp soil echoed against the foliage, along with the confused groans of his men.

“what is it this time?” kihyun asked, annoyance obvious in the tone he used, his hands loose against the reins of his horse. he had been with the dark haired commander for the longest time in their troop, and he knew all too well about the man’s habit of fancy. “you _are_ well aware that we are running on a tight schedule, _commander_?”

the raven haired man ignored the spite in the other’s tone and instead used his iron-gloved hand to point to a place in between a row of thick-leaved trees. “there.” he motioned, his gaze fixated on a far-off clearing, the sun’s rays dancing in between the shadows. “did you all see it?”

“see what?” minhyuk, the youngest blonde, queried, blinking as he followed his commander’s gaze towards the empty clearing. “i don’t see anything.”

“you are tired, wonho.” hyunwoo suggested, putting a reassuring hand on his partner’s shoulder, a rare smile curled upon his lips. “it had been quite a long trip.”

“i must be.” wonho whispered, tapping his brother’s hand before regaining his hold on his horse’s reins, softly tugging on the ropes so the beast can begin its gallop. “i believe it is best that we hurry back to the kingdom.”

his companions nodded and began to set off, yet as his horse gained speed in its tracks, there _it_ appeared again: the softest, yet brightest, glimmer of gold.

“i must truly, _truly_ be exhausted.”

 

**ii**.

the glimmer of gold was now accompanied by a golden voice.

again wonho was stopped in his tracks by the occurrence, yet this time, his companions were too far away to help snip his fleeting fancy. there was a certain hypnotic drawl to the hymn that he heard, and it was as if his hands were not of his control when he tugged on his horse’s reins to go towards the direction of the song. he was led through thick foliage and thorny bushes, yet the commander was a boy who spent most of his years in the forest, and he had no fear of getting lost.

what he feared, though, was his curiosities left unanswered.

a few twists and turns and he found himself behind a bamboo thicket, the gaps in between the shoots thin enough to conceal his presence,  yet thick enough to let him see whatever it was that led him into the tiniest of quests. he kept his breathing low, a gloved hand set unto his horse’s neck to keep the beast still.

and there he saw it.

in between the slits, the commander spied a man covered in gold, his broad back that faced his way too beautiful for words. he could feel himself gaping, yet it was hard not to stare when the man that sat a few yards before him had a mop of the brightest of golds for hair, skin that mimicked the freshest cream, and a voice that was as smooth as the velvet sheets that covered him in his slumber.

 he had heard of these kinds of beings from his father—the fairfolk, they were called—but he was much too enamored by the beautiful gold to even have safety cross his active thoughts. the longer he stared, the slower time went, and he almost didn’t realize that he was leaning forward a bit too much, his horse letting out a loud neigh in response.

that was what shook him from his slumber and what made the creature’s singing stop.

“bloody _hell_ ,” he cursed under his breath, his heartbeat speeding up to a few miles per hour as the golden creature stood to his full height and began to turn towards him. wonho could swear that _he_ almost reached a good two meters with those long legs of his, and he was sure he would be dead if the being were to attack for his intrusion. slowly, his hand reached for the hilt of his sword, and despite his foolish attraction, the commander was ready to swing if the situation called.

and yet, the ethereal creature made no effort to move from where he stood, his sleepy eyes merely fixed upon the thicket from which the raven haired soldier hid. now that his face was in full view, wonho found it harder to breathe, much less move, and he could’ve sworn the fae was using some sort of magic to punish him for his curiosities. the golden man owned doe eyes that drooped with a sense of slumber, his eyelashes thick and long; fanning against his rosy cheeks. his nose was straight, handsome and aristocratic, and below them rested the plumpest pair of lips he had ever seen, and it took all of the commander’s strength to not just race into the clearing and kiss them.

instead, the raven haired knight swiftly tugged on his horse’s reins, treading the way he went by back to the path where his companions were waiting. the fae didn’t look as if he was going to cause harm, but he was better off safe than sorry. once he saw his team, he let out a huge gasp of breath he didn’t know he was holding in, which in turn earned him a couple of raised eyebrows from the men he called his brothers.

“did anything happen to you?” hyunwoo asked, his brows stitched in worry.

wonho looked behind him, breathing out a relieved sigh when he saw he wasn’t being followed. “nothing big.” he assured, a hand to his chest as he tried to keep his heart from jumping out of his ribs. “it was just…” he heaved another breath. “a deer.”

that earned him yet another raised brow.

“a deer?” it was kihyun who spoke, and it was obvious in his tone that an insult was coming forth. “the commander? running and breathless from a mere _deer_?”

minhyuk snorted on the side, and it was hyunwoo who took it upon himself to step in and ease the tension. “give our brother the benefit of the doubt, kihyun.” he offered, his syllables sounding a bit like a lecture. “he has been quite tired these past few days. it _is_ still possible for a knight of his caliber to be under the weather, after all.”

kihyun rolled his eyes, turning away upon his horse. “i rest my case.” he spat, lips pursed in slight irritation. “i believe it is time we call it a night, yes?”

everyone nodded, and the soft gallops of their loyal horses echoed amidst the thick walls of green. yet wonho lagged behind, his heart brimming with both worry and excitement, the golden fae forever imprinted in his mind, his ethereal image burned into his soul for the rest of the night and possibly beyond.

it was not like him to gallop around the forest in circles.

wonho could not be completely blamed for the absence of his sense of direction, though. it had been weeks since he last encountered the ethereal creature from the clearing, and it had been weeks since he last got an ample amount of sleep. every time he dared to close his eyes and deal with slumber, the golden man’s visage would invade his dreams, and he would wake up covered in cold sweat, shaking from the intensity of the vision.

hyunwoo was the first to notice his odd behavior, yet he was quick to rest his case when the raven haired commander assured him that he could handle their nightly rounds with no issue. in hindsight, wonho hoped that he had taken the day off to try and rest, but it was much to late for regrets, and he was sure he was going to find his way back to their usual path sometime soon.

that is until he heard a familiar hymn echo against the thick greeneries.

“oh no,” he blurted out, his fingers tightening around his horse’s reins, ready to gallop away if need be. he tugged on the ropes and the horse began a light trot, the raven haired commander on high alert for the first time during their watch. he had his eyes open for any sliver of gold, his ears listening closely to the song that seemed to go louder with every step his steed made.

his mind, though, was an absolute mess, and the increasing volume of the haunting melody made him think that his horse was being led by an enchantment of sorts. he pulled on the reins to have the horse halt, but his fears were confirmed when the beast only went faster, taking him deeper into the forest with each leap of its long legs.

“whoa—“ wonho pulled harder, yet it was of no use. the steed went on in its enchanted rampage,  its loud gallops drumming against the grass and the rubble. as his luck would have it, a hooded figure decided it was the best time to walk across his path, and the dark haired commander gripped at the reins with all his might, eyes shut tight as he braced for impact when the horse practically ignored all of his signals. “whoa—! watch out!”

he was prepared to crash against the passerby, and was thoroughly confused when nothing of the sorts took place. slowly, the iron-clad knight peeled his eyes open, blinking as he tried to readjust his vision and make sense of what had transpired.

he gaped when he saw what (or who) stood before him and his horse. underneath the ragged hood was a mop of pure gold, and wonho had to do a double take to make sure he was not being fooled. the golden locks framed the most beautiful face he had ever laid eyes on, and it was hard not to stare when that same face was just mere inches away from his own. yet he stopped when it became too painful to look—it was different from when he was peeking behind the thicket, after all—and seeing this much beauty was almost too unbearable when taken in from up close.

the golden-haired fae was the first one to break the silence.

“are you lost, sire?” his voice was thick and honey sweet, and wonho thought there was very little difference from when he sang to when he spoke. his steed, one that usually shied away from the touch of strangers, practically nuzzled against the being’s outstretched hand, neighing in glee from the comfort it had felt.

for a second, wonho, wished he was his horse.

“sire?”

 the raven-haired knight shook himself back to reality and shoved any thoughts of being a four legged beast out of the way. a soft chortle tumbled out of his lips in embarrassment, his gloved hand scratching the back of his neck in the most sheepish manner. “sorry about that,” he began, managing a small smile despite his little predicament. “but you are right. i am a bit lost.”

the fae merely chuckled, a loose knuckle resting upon his bottom lip as he did so. “my apologies for that.” his eyes shone under the rays of the sun, and wonho thought he could just drown in those diverse pools. “my hymns do have certain effects on beasts, and your little friend here must’ve been quite distracted.” he again laid a hand on the steed, and the knight tried his hardest to not be jealous of a horse.

“well it is difficult not to.” _what are you saying, wonho_ , he thought; his words just falling down from his mouth out of their own volition. “you have a very beautiful voice.”

this garnered another chuckle from the fae, who dismissed his comment with a wave of his slender hand. “it is only natural.” he explained, his expression beautifully thoughtful. “i would be a disgrace to my kind if I failed to charm at least one horse.”

wonho could swear there a hint of teasing in his tone, but he wouldn’t be one to trust his mind in its current state. “true enough.” with a graceful kick of his leg, the commander dismounted from his steed, a decision he immediately regretted as the fae towered over him by a good few inches. never in his life had he felt so small. “so,” he cleared his throat before he continued. “is it your hobby to charm horses or was this just a coincidence?”

_smooth, shin wonho. smooth._

the smile the faerie gave was indecipherable. “no.” the beautiful man lilted his head to one side, teasing notes surrounding the syllables that rolled from his tongue. “but is it your hobby to follow around ephemeral beings and watch them behind bamboo thickets, or was _that_ just a coincidence?”

wonho wanted to burn on the spot. so he _had_ been caught by the fae. it was probably impossible not to, as he _did_ sort of panic behind the bushes last week, but he wasn’t one to know what to do in a faerie encounter and he’d rather make a fool of himself than be the target of a deadly enchantment. plus, he wasn’t exactly hoping that they’d meet again, in just a few weeks’ time, too.

“you saw me.” he had thought of lying, but he concluded that it would be no use to hide what he had done when he was already caught red handed. “i really thought i was going to die, you know?”

another chortle escaped out of the fae’s plump lips. wonho had thoughts about kissing those chops, but he reminded himself that he was raised in a castle, and not a barn. “i am not that kind of faerie, dear sire.” the creature assured, and the knight found no reason to not believe him. “and you didn’t seem like a threat—“ he paused, his diverse hues giving the shorter man a onceover. “besides your armor, at the very least.”

“ah.” _iron_. a faerie’s biggest weakness. wonho had heard that it felt like raging coals to a fae’s touch, and hurting the beautiful creature was the last thing he wanted to do in this encounter. “i can assure you that i mean no harm, though.”

“i know.” the fae quipped with that mysterious smile. the way he said it made it seem like he knew beyond what the knight could ever decipher. surprisingly, the commander had no qualms. “anyway—you want to find your way back to the watch’s path, am i right?”

“no—i mean yes!” wonho almost smacked himself in the head for that slip-up. luckily, the faerie did not seem to notice at the very least. “my companions will be worried if i don’t get back to our base anytime soon.”

the faerie gave a nod, before smoothly gesturing beyond the trees. “you would have to go straight to the northeast.” the way he spoke made it seem like his gaze could reach beyond a dozen miles. “take a left when you reach the river and keep going straight until you are back on the watcher’s path. it is not too far away.”

“thank you.” wonho motioned with a small bow, before hoisting himself up against his steed and gathering the reins in his gloved hands. he tugged at the ropes to begin his little journey, yet stopped in his tracks when he realized he had forgotten to ask an important thing.

“i am wonho. shin wonho. commander of the kingdom’s knights.” he tried his best to sound confident in his position, yet it seemed as if any haughtiness he had was drained by the mere radiance of the ethereal fae. “may i have the honor of knowing your name?”

there was a pregnant pause that grew in their conversation, and wonho feared that he may have a struck a nerve from an unspoken rule in the faerie’s book. but before he could apologize, the golden boy beamed, and it quelled any worry that may have rooted in the young soldier’s heart.

“hyungwon.” he offered, his smile bordering on sweetness and mystery. “you may call me hyungwon.”

wonho took the name and imprinted it in his soul, much like the golden image of the fae that left him sleepless for weeks. yet this time, he may finally be able to conquer his dreamland, a first in quite a long while.

“would i be seeing you around this forest?” the knight was taking his chances.

“i believe so.” wonho almost cheered on the spot. “your horse is good at finding me.”

he chose to ignore the friendly jab, choosing instead to laugh it off than being embarrassed. “i will be sure to thank him for that.” he bantered, gently tapping the horse’s cheek twice as it neighed. “well. i shall be going now, sir hyungwon.”

hyungwon gave a gracious nod. “be safe in your journey, dear sire.”

when he turned away from the fae, the raven haired knight’s smile could rival any amount of shimmering gold that could be found in the kingdom.

 

**Author's Note:**

> -none of the knights are blood brothers. their brotherhood is forged by time, camaraderie, and experience.  
> -my favorite thing about this fic is hyungwon's subtle sass


End file.
